Social Media

MySpace Music Sounds Like Advertiser Heaven

As we noted last Friday, MySpace Music will be stepping up its content offerings substantially later this month, with partnerships made between itself and the major record studios Sony BMG, Universal and Warner going further than an ordinary “commercial deal.”

The social network is calling the effort a “joint venture,” according to Jeff Berman, president of sales and marketing. Indeed, the network has made known several arrangements with major advertisers - Sony Pictures, McDonald’s, State Farm, and Toyota - that will be very clearly visible to listeners. As Adweek’s Gregory Solman notes, spots will land in places alongside customized tools, wrapped around the music player and as skins laid upon user playlists, and in free download sponsorships.

Advertising is certainly an expected presence within the MySpace Music environment. The broader network rakes in more than half a billion dollars in revenue through banners and the like. Still, the level of marketing being outlined today shows that the experiment is geared to reap the biggest impact possible from the get-go while offering music fans an ounce of familiarity in the way they listen to and download songs and albums. Ads of course will not invade the music download and ownership experience, but all else seems to be open season.

Adweek some months ago explained that, “MySpace...negotiated with major music labels that wanted to find a new business model. In addition to satisfying the labels, MySpace crafted a plan to address consumers' desire to share and discover music freely.” And so it has delivered the following starting lineup:

McDonald’s will act as sponsor of free downloads and will “have a presence among the customized tools on the MySpace Personal Music Player.”

State Farm will also involve itself in the music player and “various playlists.” The company will “probably integrate its MySpace Music affiliation with its own content offering, NowWhat.com,” too.

Toyota will orchestrate weekly events known as “Toyota Tuesdays,” sponsoring no-charge downloads and presenting its ads within the MySpace Music Player. This will continue for a year’s time. (Tuesday is typically the day of week when new music is made available by studios.)

Lastly, Sony Pictures is to begin with a promotion for “Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist.” Simply put, MySpace will allow Sony to infuse itself in user-generated playlists “by skinning user lists with messages related to the movie.” Sony also plans to establish a “homepage roadblock for the film” for visitors arriving at the MySpace Music website.

Altogether these major brands will be so visible throughout MySpace Music’s dimensions as to be unavoidable - a polar opposite take to those of Apple’s iTunes Store or Amazon MP3 - the latter party being a part and parcel of the MySpace Music project.

Is the concerted ad push a smart one? Or will listeners display a low tolerance for it? I lean to door number two. But what alternative might MySpace prove successful with? This appears the only way to seriously attempt sustainability.

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